Elastic leather and process of making same.



MAURICE SCHETIER, or NEW YORK, 1v. 2.,

.ASSIG-NOR TO CARRIE SCI-IEUER, OF NEW 'YORK, N. Y..

ELASTIC LEATHER AND rnoon'ss or MAKING SAME.

no Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE SCHEUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elastic Leather and Processes of MakingSame, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to one form of elastic leather and a process of making same and my object is the production of such material by the direct application of an elastic medium to the leather in such manner that it will 'become an integral part thereof and the resultant product will be stretchable or elastic in one or more directions.

As is well known leather is a fibrous'ma terial and while stretchable to a limited degree is not elastic as that term is commonly understood. The fibers are interwoven with one another in a very irregular manner and their relationship depends on the tannage and manner of finishing.

By utilizing my discovery the relation of the fibers is changed and re-arranged in such manner that the leather becomes elastic or stretchable to a marked degree.

In making my improved product the leather is'preferably freed from any filler or size which may have been used in finishing and is worked until it is soft and pliable and the fibers well opened. The soft leather is then stretched or put under tension and coated with a flexible medium, such as a rubber cement and united to a piece of suitable elastic fabric which is under tension. After the cement has dried the tension is released and the sheet rubber or elastic fabric ed relation.

is stripped from the leather leaving the dried film of elastic medium or rubber on the leather. By coating a sheet of stretched rubber or elastic fabric while under tension the film of rubber cement is also under tension after it has dried owing to the evaporation of the solvent and the consequent diminution in bulk. As both temporary support and leather are released from tensiontogether the rubber film willcontract with them and when the leather with its adhering film is stripped from' its temporary support the, rubber film will still further contract and rearrange the leather fibers in contract- The leather with the dried film is then stretched again coated with medium Specification of Letters Iatent.

- leather.

Patented my as, rare.

Application filed August 7, 1913. Serial No. 783,522.

and united to the sheet under tension a second time. After drying the tension is released and the leather and double film is stripped from the sheet. These coating, uniting, drying and stripping operations are repeated until the leather has sufficient elastic material in and on it to make it elastic enough for the purpose for which it is to be used. The greater the number of coatings the greater the elasticity of the leather.

It is necessary that the coatings on the leather be not disturbed in these processes for if they are there will be no binder to retain the leather fibers in their new, compacted relation. For this reason it is necessary that the elastic coating adhere to the leather and not to the rubber sheet so that on stripping the coating will adhere to the It has also been found advisable to graduate the tension at the successive repetitions of the process, starting with only a moderate tension and increasing it as the coatings increase in number. By this means 'the fibers are more slowly but certainly drawn together instead of imposing on one another.

If the leather is to be stretchable in more than one direction the stretching preliminary to coating is done alternately in the directkilons in which the finished product is to iel y The product is useful in making a number of articles in which a rubber or elastic goresection is now used in conjunction with leather.

I- claim 1. As a new article of manufacture,

leather impregnated, under tension with an m elastic medium which is allowed to dry while 1 the leather is under tension whereby elasticity is uniformly imparted to the leather without gathering or puckering the same.

2. As a new article of manufacture a facing of leather and a backing of elastic medium uniformly distributed over the back thereof while the leather is under tension whereby elasticity is uniformly imparted to the leather without puckering or gathering.

3. The process of making elastic leather consisting in stretching a piece of leather, applying a coating of elastic medium thereto, uniting the same to a stretched sheet of elastic material, drying the elastic medium and stripping the leather and medium from the sheet.

10 to the leather.

4. The process of making elasticleatherfconsisting in stretching a piece of leather, applying a coating of elastic mediumthereto, uniting the same to a stretched sheet vof elastic material, drying iitheelastic rn' edium and stripping the leather and mediumfrom" the sheet, repeating the stretching, coating, drying, uniting and stripping operations until a pluralityof films have been applied 5. The process of making elastic leather consisting in stretchinga piece of leather, applying 'a coating of elastic medium thereto,- uniting the same to a stretched sheet of elastic material, drying the elastic medium and stripping the leather and medium from un'tila plurality of films have been applied tovthe leather; the tension on the sheet and leather being increased at each successive set of operations.

7 In testimony whereof I. have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses. I MAURICE SGHEUER. Witnesses: I

RoBT. B, KILLGORE, D. 'Mtm'rz;

the sheet, repeating the stretching coatiiig, uniting; drying and stripping operations 

